Water dispensers are known, whether as a stand alone appliance, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,453 or in combination with another appliance, such as a refrigeration appliance, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,097. Typically such water dispensers include a dispensing area which has a space to receive a receptacle, such as a cup, which is to be filled with water from the dispenser.
There are also known arrangements for adding flavors to water as it is dispensed into a receptacle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,066 discloses a beverage flavoring cassette to be used in conjunction with a cup that the cassette attaches to. The cassette includes a supply of flavoring particles held within a ring between two filters. The cup and cassette are then placed over a receptacle for the flavored liquid, and water is dispensed into the open top of the cup. After use, the cassette is discarded and the cup must be cleaned so it can be reused with a fresh cassette which is packaged separately.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,292,527 discloses an apparatus for preparing and dispensing beverages from prefabricated cartridges in which the cartridge has a conical or frusto-conical shape with a sealed top opening and an openable apex end of the cone. Held within the cartridge is a loose supply of a product which provides the flavoring to the water. A perforated disc is also provided within the cartridge to provide a pressure drop within the cartridge and to act as a filter for the flavoring product. The sealed top of the cartridge is to be pierced by a water supply conduit when water is to introduced into the cartridge. The cartridge is held in place by lifting the body of the cartridge over a ring shaped support and then dropping the cartridge into the ring shaped support where it is held during the dispensing process.